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Starbucks informational picket, Whitechapel, Saturday 26 May

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#1
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the button's picture
the button
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May 23 2007 10:00
Starbucks informational picket, Whitechapel, Saturday 26 May

Assemble 12 noon on Saturday 26 May at the Whitechapel High Street Starbucks.

The picket will last at least an hour. Come & say hello, and maybe help hand out the odd leaflet. People willing to stand there looking like a prick with a sandwich board round their necks are particularly welcome. wink

This is part of South London Solidarity Federation's ongoing campaign in solidarity with Starbucks workers, sacked for union organising in the US, and also in support of the UK IWW's efforts at helping coffee shop workers to organise. Previous pickets have been held across South & East London, including Greenwich, Blackheath, Clapham, Bexleyheath & most recently Waterloo.

We have two kinds of leaflet -- the first for customers & passers-by, the second for "barristas." Obviously care is needed handing stuff out to the barristas, and having a chat with them is the main thing, if possible.

#2
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Jason Cortez
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May 23 2007 21:56

Hey, you know i love those groovy placards and i never look anything other than exceptional. smile

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Bubbles's picture
Bubbles
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May 23 2007 22:28

thanks for the support!

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Tacks
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May 23 2007 23:03

Assemble 12 noon on Saturday 26 May at the Whitechapel High Street Starbucks.

South London Solidarity Federation

neutral

Oh is this the new one the Space Hijackers had a 'knees up' outside of?

I'm sure they'll all be there for this grin

#5
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ftony
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May 24 2007 10:58

i'mm be on a deliberately pirate-themed stag do around the cutty sark area (the joke being that it got burnt down, for all you non-londoners out there) all saturday, but i've sent it round the IWW lists and put it on the spacehijackers forum. sorry i've been slack recently sad

#6
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Tacks
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May 24 2007 11:33

somebody torched the cutty sark lol grin

#7
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ftony
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May 24 2007 12:30

take that, naval warfare.

#8
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 24 2007 12:46

Naval warfare? It was a tea clipper grin

#9
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Joseph Kay
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May 24 2007 12:48

ok then; take that, imperial plunder!

(the little known first album)

#10
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 24 2007 12:50

Won't anyone think of the coffee angle cry

#11
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Joseph Kay's picture
Joseph Kay
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May 24 2007 12:56

eh? what's this thread about again? wink

#12
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 24 2007 13:37

zackly, was getting derailed into pesky tea!

I might do some cheery flyerings cool

#13
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ftony
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May 24 2007 14:14
wraeth wrote:
Naval warfare? It was a tea clipper grin

er, um, of course i meant naval *economic* warfare.

[damn]

wraeth wrote:
I might do some cheery flyerings

cheery flyerings are the best smile

#14
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 24 2007 14:45

Not sure I can stretch to a placard though ... might crease me garb hand

#15
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 25 2007 08:44

Can anyone post a link to the flyers? Met a friend last night who's going to start handing them out in her travels, plus another who might want to get more actively involved.

#16
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 25 2007 11:07

Thanks Jack. It mentioned two types in the button's OP, but I guess this is certainly one of them - cheers!

#17
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 25 2007 11:16

Ah, right. Thanks - there's also the film night one. Are we handing those out tomorrow too?

#18
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wraeth
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May 25 2007 12:13

Yep - that's the one I meant, for the 7th June

#19
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the button's picture
the button
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May 27 2007 12:15

Five people turned out for this -- 3 members of South London SolFed, T (who I'm sure wouldn't mind being described as a "veteran" IWW), and wraeth, who turned out despite not being subject to the fearsome internal discipline of a revolutionary organisation. wink

Once again, our leaflets were generally well-received (apart from the grumpy old woman who screwed hers up, and threw it at Jack), with a fair few people stopping for a chat. One guy even pulled up in his car and asked for a leaflet.

The shop manager called the cops on us, but -- since Whitechapel Starbucks is on the widest section of Whitechapel High Street -- there was no way we were causing an obstruction, so that a little bit of drama & we can all say that we got hassled by The Man. Which is nice. After the manager finished his shift, he came out for a chat and was quite apologetic about calling the cops -- his point was that, had his bosses found out about us showing up, he would have got shit for not calling the cops. Anyway, he took a leaflet.

Although it's impossible to say that it was down to us (because I've never seen Whitechapel Starbucks on a Saturday afternoon before), the place was near-deserted, especially towards the end of the picket. Hopefully we made some difference to their takings.

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thugarchist
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May 27 2007 12:23
the button wrote:
Five people turned out for this -- 3 members of South London SolFed, T (who I'm sure wouldn't mind being described as a "veteran" IWW), and wraeth, who turned out despite not being subject to the fearsome internal discipline of a revolutionary organisation. ;)

Was anyone that worked at the starbucks involved?

#21
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 27 2007 12:36

Here's a pic of the near deserted Starbucks cool

#22
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the button's picture
the button
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May 27 2007 12:39
Quote:
Was anyone that worked at the starbucks involved?

Clearly not, since as anarchists we would shit ourselves if faced with a real member of the working class. Happy now? tongue

#23
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wraeth's picture
wraeth
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May 27 2007 12:42

I got collared by a random nutter eek

#24
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thugarchist
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May 27 2007 12:46
the button wrote:
Quote:
Was anyone that worked at the starbucks involved?

Clearly not, since as anarchists we would shit ourselves if faced with a real member of the working class. Happy now? tongue

I was honestly just asking. I'm not opposed to consumer boycotts used as organizing tools. Happy now? beard

#25
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ftony
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May 29 2007 13:36

rockidy doodle doo. glad it went well. i thought about visiting the cutty sark starbucks, but by the time i got there i was a) pissed as a fart and b) dressed as a pirate and c) had no leaflets.

edit: damn. i'm sure there's a joke somewhere in there about the crappiness of the Great Revolutionary Vanguard and how we couldn't be any more useless even if we turned up pissed and dressed in pirate costumes... oh well.